Save Me From This
by MadnessIsTheMurderer
Summary: She loved him. He loved another. But the one no one ever cared about will be the one who steals her heart. Who knew?
1. Chapter 1

**Name: **_**Yamanaka Ino**_

__**Age: **_**17**_

__**Grade: **_**11**_

__**Class: **_**Biology**_

__**Mark:**

Yamanaka Ino looked down onto the test sheet she was filling out, contemplating on how to answer the blank clearly labeled, "Mark". How was she supposed to know what her mark was going to be? Was she supposed to estimate how well she'd do out of 100 skill-testing, brain-blowing questions? Were they really giving her that question?

Or was it just a trick?

Maybe she was thinking too hard... Either way, she shook her head and wrote on the side of the paper, not daring to fill it out until she had a good look at the questions.

_**Hopefully good enough to pass.**_

With a smile, she flipped past the first page, excited as to see what the test would include, what she would need to know, and what type of questions were there for her to answer.

She'd never been a whiz at Biology like Sakura was, but Ino was sure that she could do decent on it. Of course she wouldn't be the lowest of the class; that was always Naruto. That had been his spot for the last semester or two, only being taken over once when Akamichi Chouji had entered their Algebra class; who knew a kid could get straight 0s for a whole term?

But looking at the questions typed elegantly onto the page in bold print, she could feel her smile fading, the panic welling up inside her as her mind screamed, _"You don't know these!"_

Because she didn't. None of the things the questions asked seemed to make any sense to the teen. How was she supposed to know how to answer the questions when the facts weren't even in her brain?

Had she not studied enough? Had she been asleep that class...? No, Ino never fell asleep in class; it was too hard to! The teacher was just too damn hot, and she could never fall asleep without thinking that she'd make a fool of herself in front of him!

Besides, she got enough sleep as it was, clocking in at nine in the evening and awaking at eight the following day. A good eleven hours of sleep each night, and still she couldn't answer these questions! Was she the only one?

Quickly, her blue eyes scanned the surroundings, looking at each student as if he were a time bomb about to explode. She didn't want to get yelled at for attempting to cheat, did she? No, this was just a quick inspection... _"Oh, don't worry sir, I'll be out of here in no time. Just came to see how everything was."_

What she saw shocked her to her wits end. Everyone was writing down fervently, looking as if they knew exactly what the answer was to each and every little question, faces smug with their own self satisfaction. That panic welling inside her chest was only heightened when she seen that blond idiot, Uzumaki Naruto, putting his pencil to the paper with his tongue halfway out of his mouth; the signature look he had when he knew he had the answer right.

Her heart began to pound harder in her chest, threatening to break through her rib cage with each staggering beat it made. Her eyes grew wide and her hands began to sweat uncontrollably, releasing out the water she had inhaled earlier this morning, when she nearly missed her bus. Luckily she caught it, lest she wouldn't be here now.

Here, worrying over the outcome of this gruesome test.

Uzumaki Naruto looked at the writing, giving a soft chuckle at what he saw on the back of the paper. He didn't know any of these. Hell, he hadn't been awake in class half the time, let alone studied! There were a lot of blank spots, he noticed, so he decided not to let the space go by wasted. Sticking out his tongue in concentration, he put his pencil to paper and began drawing a large dinosaur, its tongue drooping out in a comic fashion.

He turned to see if anyone was looking at him, only to meet the frantic eyes of his classmates for a mere second. It was only a few milliseconds, but Naruto could tell that Yamanaka Ino was panicked and frightened, like she was a small child who had just awaken from a terrible nightmare. And he'll admit; he felt bad for her for a good second or two, seeing her with those wide eyes and pale face. But it was only a second, until he remembered how much of a bitch she was to him, always insulting him and mocking him for things that didn't matter. So he went back to drawing. 

The blond boy was completely out of it during the test. He didn't care about marks; he already knew what would happen! He'd bomb this test like always, yet Iruka-sensei would give him a makeup project to do that would be as easy as breathing, and he'd pass that.

It was always the same. Iruka-sensei was too kind. He always let Naruto get away with stuff like that, just because he didn't want to see the idiot failing Biology and getting held back a year.

Then again, Iruka also didn't want him to fail Algebra, Geography, or any other of his classes. Which was why, Naruto though, Iruka bribed them into giving Naruto those extra assignments.

Yep, in his eyes, Iruka-sensei was his savior, his best friend, the one who looked out for him even though it could cost him his job.

With a swipe of his hand, he finished off the top of the dinosaurs head, his drawing resembling... Nothing close to what he wanted to draw. He was never good at creating things out of lines. Typical for him; He was never good at anything. Naruto was told that day after day, that he failed at everything he tried. But he tried nonetheless, which always seemed to get him the marks he needed to pass his classes. Albeit, with a 58, but that didn't matter. Not to him. He wasn't like Haruno Sakura, who based brains completely on your mark in school. Nor was he like Nara Shikamaru, who was a secret genius. And he definitely, by no means, was like _Uchiha Sasuke, _the coolest smart guy you could find anywhere.

He liked it like this, though, being different. Naruto knew that he'd never want to be similar to anyone, because then he wouldn't be "Naruto". He'd never have that certain characteristic that made him an Uzumaki.

He also knew that no one else could copy his certain charm. That charm that got him friends and some admirers. That hard headed determination, the unwavering optimism that seemed to always be in his life.

With a smile, he read the last question on the test – well, he supposed it was a statement, if what little he knew of his Language class was correct – and couldn't help but look at Yamanaka Ino again. Seeing her delicate hands pulling at free flowing blond hair, he began to laugh. Wasn't she stressing out over nothing. If only she would be like him, always starting at the back of the book...

** This test is a joke. Relax. Take a deep breath. You've passed.**

At the moment he reread the 100th question (statement, he reminded himself), he wondered if others had read it.

With a shrug, he smiled again and continued to draw.

Let them figure it out themselves.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the beginning of the test, yet she was still as stressed out now as she was at the beginning. These questions were hard, she knew, and there would be no way of her passing.

_ Goodbye, C-! I'll welcome a D instead... _

With a sigh, her head hit the desk, a loud sound sent echoing through the small room they sat in. It was hopeless, she knew, yet she still couldn't help but feel like there was still something small, something still left to do on this test.

Oh. Right. It hit her immediately as she flipped to the front of the book, staring at that one empty blank with angry, hateful eyes. It was like that one word was mocking her, those four letters suddenly as sharp as daggers, stabbing into her eyes and sending wave after wave of pain and anguish into her body.

**Mark:**

With a shaking hand, she attempted to put pen to paper, struggling with herself to admit defeat to such a difficult object, a thick group of papers that seemed to be casting a horrible spell over her. But it was just paper, and she was just an idiot. That was it, she told herself. That was what was happening. This paper wasn't _really _a paper, but a sorcerer in disguise! A frightening wizard capable of bending her emotions and making her stupid! Of course, she thought, she wasn't really this dumb! Of course she really knew the answers! It was just the paper-wizard getting his revenge on the world for turning him into paper. Ino just happened to be the closest one to feel his terrible wrath.

Taking a deep breath, she wrote down her answer to that one last question, admitting her defeat finally, unable to bare with the wrath any longer.

**Mark: **_**Worse than Naruto. That's saying something.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Fourth period class was always Ino's favorite. It was the one subject she completely excelled in, the one class that enabled her to express her real self, that let her do anything she wanted to.

Yep, Lunch was most definitely her favorite subject in school.

Standing in line for the nasty cafeteria food she was forced to eat on a daily basis, her blue eyes scanned about the room, trying to find someone, anyone, to sit with. Not that she was lonely.

_No_, Ino was _never _lonely, always surrounded by her many friends. Who always surrounded around Uchiha Sasuke, yet that was another matter that didn't worry her at this moment.

"How was the test?" a horrible, taunting voice whispered into her ear. Recognizing the voice as the idiot's voice, her anger rose and she flicked her head over her shoulder, glaring at the Uzumaki boy and his group of lackeys.

"Shut up, idiot!" she yelled back to him in an angered tone, hoping that he didn't do any better on it.

"You looked so lost!" he taunted, looking over his shoulder at his giggling friends. "I thought you were going to go up in flames!"

Ino's face went red on accident, the blush taking over despite her best efforts. "Like you did any better, Uzumaki," she shot back, a violent scowl taking over her lips as she stared him down.

"I didn't!" A smile took over his scarred face, nearly mocking her with its brilliance, though his words only confirmed her suspicions. "I drew a dinosaur." He looked over his shoulder to his friends, then back to Ino, sticking his tongue out at her in an insulting way. "I'm _still _going to get a better mark than you, though! Because you didn't know anything!"

"I told you to shut up!" she cried out, raising her lunch tray and smacking him multiple times in the arm with it, its damage increasing with each "Rape!" Naruto energetically yelled out.

His friends were laughing, she was angry, Naruto only having the ability to laugh and scream out his one word over and over.

Eventually, someone interfered from the farther end of the cafeteria, ending their little debacle as quickly as it had begun.

"Shut the Hell up, Naruto!" Haruno Sakura screamed angrily, standing from her seat and holding up her fist in a threat. Ino quickly took her tray off from Naruto's reddening arm, turning forward and continuing in the cafeteria line. Naruto turned to Sakura, waved, then faced Ino's back again.

"That hurt, you know."

Ino sighed. Why was he still talking to her? Didn't he get it? Didn't he understand that he was nothing, too low of a being to be compared to her, a popular and beautiful girl? He was dumb and weird, someone who lowered your social standing just by speaking to them. So why was he still bugging her?

"Get lost, Naruto."

Why was she still talking to him...?

"Oh, c'mon, Ino!" he teased, hand landing on her shoulder, though she didn't turn around to face him. It was her turn at the front, and as she called out the things she wanted – a salad, to keep her figure – just as she did every day, Naruto continued to bug her. When she ordered a soft drink with no lid, he hadn't even thought about what was to happen.

"Naruto?" she said in a light tone, a smile grim on the painted pink lips of hers, her tray on the top of the counter and hand tight against the paper cup her orange soda resided in.

"Hm?" was the only thing he managed to get out of his mouth before he was soaked in an orange-colored waterfall, there and gone in a blink of an eye. For a moment he stood there, shocked out of his mind, brain racing to understand what just happened. As soon as it registered – she poured a drink over him in front of the whole student body! – he licked his lips and grinned stupidly. "Thank God it's orange crush!"

With one last glare from her, Ino turned on her heels and walked away as the cackling of Naruto's few friends echoed behind her, the rest of the cafeteria silent before they, too, broke out in laughter. Even though she succeeded in embarrassing the boy, she didn't feel any more accomplished; they weren't laughing _at _him. They were laughing _with _him. And for some reason, it made her even more angry as usual.

As she slammed out the doors of the cafeteria, her mind reeled and screamed curses at the stupid blond boy, the haze of red anger fading as the cold wind of the autumn air outdoors hit itself against her bare skin when she exited into the center courtyard of the school.

This was her sanctuary, the place she came to when she was too annoyed to face anyone, when she was too tired to speak without making a fool of herself, when she was too depressed to keep a straight face. The flowers that had once bloomed – all beautiful golds and oranges, reds and yellows – were comforting, just as they always were. She loved such delicate things, thought they were mirror images of herself – soft, beautiful, and dainty, easily broken by a rough hand.

It was a ruse, of course, but that's what she thought. Deep down, she knew she was nothing like those flowers. Perhaps she seemed so kind and soft on the outside, but inside she was a raging fire, so short tempered and easily annoyed that she often kicked the shadows on her walk home, cursing under her breath at all the wrong things that had gone on that day.

Thinking about the day so far, she began cursing profusely, not caring if the neighboring flowers thought she was crazy (they were plants, who the hell cared?), finally noticing that she left her salad on the counter. She could bet at least ten dollars that the stupid, most incompetent, foolish idiot _Uzumaki Naruto _was eating it right then. It was a selfish thought, maybe, but at that moment she wished that some terrible rat king had died in that salad – or had at least infected it with some deadly disease – and that Naruto found it there. A crazed smile came to her face as she thought of how he'd talk himself out of that strange situation. _"What a strange rat! It looks just like Ino, huh?"_

Her fists clenched tightly into themselves as she thought of all the many insults he would make up about her and the rat, oblivious to the fact that none of it was actually happening. It was so easy for her to get lost in her dream-world, where everything she wanted happened, where she was the prettiest girl on the face of the earth and Uchiha Sasuke was diving at her feet, dying to be within her vicinity. And in her dream, she denied him that honour; she wanted him to fight for her affection against the dozens of other needy boys like him.

She stayed outside with the wilting flowers for as long as time would let her, willing the dull and dying brilliance of the colours to ease her anger away. When the last bell rang for class, she realized that there would be no easing her discomforting emotion, and quickly bolted out of the courtyard. Next was fifth period: Phys. Ed.

Through her veins, something sinister like poison passed.

Yes, fifth period. With Naruto.

As soon as the shiver of anger passed through her body, it was replaced with a joyous one of pleasure as she realized the other good thing about fifth period. Ah, she sighed, content and pleased.

Yes, fifth period. With Sasuke.


	3. Chapter 3

She could see it now, the way it would play out.

_"Oh, Ino, you're so great at volleyball! The uniform looks amazing on you, we're all unworthy to face off agaisnt you in this sport!"_

Of course, she'd be honorable about it. She'd make them stand from their knees, blush and giggle as she pushed off their compliments.

_"Oh, don't be silly, guys... I'm not that great! Look, Sakura, you look good, too!"_

But she knew she didn't. She only said it to be kind.

And Sasuke! Oh, Sasuke would fall to her feet when he saw how well she played the sport! She'd be sweating (yet still gorgeous, she reminded herself) and glistening under the artificial light from the industrial lights above, and as she spiked the ball into Naruto's face for that winning point, she'd be surrounded by people who cheered for her win. Sasuke would approach her and – just like she always dreamed – would compliment her on her skills.

And then he'd ask her out.

She still couldn't decide what she'd do at that point. Would she play hard to get? Or would she accept him right then and there?

"You coming, Ino?" Sakura's voice broke her from her fantasies. Quickly Ino pulled her shirt on and ran after her half-friend-half-enemy, into the gymnasium where they'd be playing volleyball.

The moment she entered, she was greeted by the booming, echoing sound of the loudest idiot of all screaming from across the gym.

"Good thing we have showers in the school, right, Ino?" that voice taunted.

God, she hated him! She wanted to rush over to him and punch him right in that smug face, grab those wet, blond locks and use it as leverage to slam his head into the net poles. How many times would she slam it?

_Cinderella, dressed in yellow. Went upstairs to kiss a fellow... Made a mistake, kissed a snake, how many doctors did it take? One... Two... Three..._

She knew damn well it would take a lot of doctors.

If it wasn't for him across the way, she would have done it, too. But Sasuke stood there in all his princely glory, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of him. Not that day, at least. He probably already seen the whole act in the lunch room, so she couldn't afford one more act of irritation to cause him to think ill of her.

"Okay, kids!" the teacher screamed. Anko-sensei was such a terrible physical education teacher; she was too strict all the time. They _never _had any time to just hang out around the gym floor, it was always: do this, do that! You're breathing too much, work harder so you pass out, Ino!

Always.

"Start running laps. Five minutes on the clock!"

And sure enough, five minutes was on the clock. Reluctantly, but with no way to argue (she had tried once before. Her arms were sore the next day from the amount of push ups she needed to do) she began to slowly jog around. There was no need to break a sweat and look ugly in front of Sasuke, was there? Many of the other girls knew that, too, since they were all going slow.

Yet Sasuke went hard at it. He ran and ran, almost like he was challenging himself. For a while, Naruto tried to challenge him, then become distracted at something.

And _then _he jogged slowly beside Ino.

"That was a good one in the cafeteria," he said with a toothy grin, signature only to him. "I know you're just upset about failing the test. It's alright, I'll let it go." But he didn't and cut right infront of her path, causing her to stop short and exert herself more than she wanted to.

Ino watched as he turned around and started to run backwards, sticking his tongue out at her, mocking.

God, she hated him!

He lapped her, once, twice, always mentioning something infuriating and rushing off.

The third time he tried it, she snapped. He mentioned something about Sasuke, and – like she and all other of his loyal fans knew – that was a big no-no.

So she chased after him at full speed, catching up to him.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto!" she screamed, cutting in front of him like he had done to her earlier.

But he did not just stop himself. No, he stopped himself, tripped, and flew forwards. She slowed her jogged, went backwards, pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out.

"Moron!" she taunted as she continued forward.

…

Yep, she was a bitch. He knew it, that's why he bugged her or pulled pranks on her. His entire group of dead lasts were usually involved, all amused by her reactions to whatever they did.

That fall? That was amusing. She was so unpredictable at times.

But still a bitch. Definitely still that.

He knew it was alright, though. She'd won that round, but he'd win the next. Naruto knew of her weakness, the thing that made her – and every other girl, mostly – snap; Sasuke.

Mention him, and he instantly got some sort of reaction. He'd get her back, oh, indeed he would.

His plan had been put in action when he had been put on the same team as her, and Sasuke on the opposite. Of course, he was pretty upset that he wasn't on the same team as Sakura, instead being forced to compete against her. But making fun of Ino – and thus causing her to make a fool of herself in front of Sasuke – would more than make up for it.

Their team had the ball. Ino had been front center, with Tenten in front of her. Chouji was serving (oh, lord, he knew how well that was going to go...), and Hinata in front of him, himself and Lee to Ino's right, Lee being the closest to the net.

On the other side was Sakura on the opposite front center, Neji behind her, Sasuke serving. Shikamaru stood lazily on the other side of Lee, with an energized Kankuro to Sakura's left, his sister standing behind him. In the back center was Kiba, making random taunts at Naruto like they normally did during any competetive game, whether they were on the same team or not.

In his mind, this was the best set up for the plan.

Sasuke served the ball first, having it returned easily by Tenten. It was shot into the air from Temari, volleyed softly over by Sakura. It was Ino's ball, she was going to spike it and show off her skills.

But what kind of person would he be if he let her show off in front of her crush?

Oh, he wouldn't let that happen at all.

Instead, Naruto rushed forward, put his hand on Ino's shoulder and used it to push himself off the floor as he jumped, headbutting the ball to Kiba.

Perhaps he weighed too much for her small body to support, since she shot into the floor, but he quickly moved back as the ball was dropped by the unable-to-move Kiba.

He was laughing too much.

"Naruto!" Ino shrieked, turning around in her position with nothing but pure anger in his eyes.

But she didn't do anything. No, Sasuke was watching... The Uzumaki became unamused as she quickly regained her composure and switched positions.

It was Hinata's turn to serve, but of course the ball didn't make it much farther then flying high into the air.

"I got you, Hinata!" Naruto eagerly exclaimed, jumping into the air and assisting the ball in making it over the net.

Sure, it didn't count as a successful serve, but the girl sure did blush, and it made him feel good about himself. Flashing her a thumbs up, he gave that signature grin and prepared for Shikamaru's served.

It went straight to Ino, yet again.

With her eye on the ball, Naruto found it fitting to hip-check her out of the way and send it speeding towards Sakura.

She missed, and his team got a point.

He could see the irritation building on both Ino's _and _Sasuke's face. Not only was his plan becoming successful, but he was making his number one public enemy feel defeated.

Now it was Ino's turn to serve, with Naruto in middle center. Her first serve quickly rose and fell in the empty space where Shikamaru and Kankuro stood.

They had that game in check, he knew it.

Sasuke was going _down._

…

Ino glared at that stupid head of that stupid boy. Naruto was making her miserable in that period. God, she hated having classes with that idiot!

But the ball was in her hand. It was a good side for his fat melon where hardly any brain was kept.

So she threw the ball up, and when her hand connected to its surface, she was hardly concerned about getting it over the net.

It sped through the air and – bam – hit him on the back of the head.

"Oops, I messed up," she cutely said, feigning innocence.

But she gave him the worst glare he could imagine when he looked at her.

She wouldn't let herself be pushed around by him, not again.

Not today.


End file.
